EXHIBIT PREVIEW: A jazz show for the birds – and that's a good thing

Birders photographers are known for traveling great distances to see rare birds and then revealing their wonder to audiences. Arni Cheatham, a jazz saxophonist and photographer, has gone beyond that to bring all his creativity to express his delight in birds.

In the multi-media program “Bird Lives” at the Museum of American Bird Art in Canton this Sunday, Cheatham will play his horn and tell stories of his travels while his photographs are projected onto a screen. He will be accompanied by John Funkhouser, a well-known pianist/keyboardist, bassist composer and educator.

“With music, I attempt to tell the audience ‘Come. Let me take you on a journey. We may go somewhere you haven’t been before but I promise to bring you back safely,” said Cheatham, named Boston Jazz Hero last year by the Jazz Journalists Association. “Photographically I strive to follow the same principle, and the writing is just another way to enhance the journey.”

As he takes the audience on his journey to photograph the illusive marsh wren, for example, he will describe his strategy of staying focused and patient.

“But most importantly, while you’re waiting, breathe deeply, smell the earth, listen to the sounds around you, become one with the environment, savor the moment and meditate on the joy of being alive,” he writes. “In the end, the being is first and the image is secondary.”

And although he has photographed birds in beautiful locations, he says there is much to value close to home.

“The true nature of many a beautiful image is that it may have been taken a short walk from the photographer’s home on an otherwise unspectacular day,” he writes. “In point of fact, an excellent location doesn’t have to be an exotic location. It just has to be seen with exotic eyes.”

The performance takes place in the museum’s main gallery, which hosts a show of silkscreen prints by artist Anne S. Faust through May 18.

Jody Feinberg may be reached at jfeinberg@ledger.com or follow on Twitter @JodyF_Ledger.